LPGA Junior Challenge June 22-23, 2016

LPGA Junior Challenge

(June 22-23, 2016)

Racing to Victory

On Monday, June 20, 2016 the Hurricane Junior Golf Tour traveled to Daytona Beach, FL to host the LPGA Junior Challenge at LPGA International Golf Club. The weather was a golfer’s dream with sunshine and temperatures in the mid-80s all week long. The HJGT would like to thank LPGA International staff for allowing us to host our tournament at such a prestigious golf course. Winners in each division received an exemption into the 2016 Tour Championship December 3-4, 2016 at ChampionsGate. The top 10 finishers also received points towards year end honors which include state teams, ALL HJGT teams, and the Hurricane Cup. Once the first group was sent off number 1 the players were ready for their chance to fight for their first place trophies.

Boys 16-18 Division

Callum Brown of Stuart, Florida was the champion of the boy’s 16-18 division. Brown was able to take first place after shooting an impressive 2 under (70) for both rounds. Brown recorded 4 birdies, 26 pars, and 3 bogeys for 36 holes of competition. Following close behind Brown was Nelson Ou (Foshan, China), who shot a consistent 73-72 in rounds 1 and 2 respectively. Shobhit Gupta (Delhi, India) nearly copied Brown with 25 pars of his own. Gupta came in 3rd place with a two-day total of 152.

Boys 14-15 Division

Nicholas Plavetic of Longwood, Florida took home 1st place in the boys 14-15 division. Plavetic had a solid first round with a division best of 79. A birdie on the par the 5 eight hole led Plavetic to a 38 on the front and fueled him to have a consistent back nine in round 2 to finish with an 83. Hunter Boahn (St. Augustine, FL) took second place.

Girls 14-18 Division

Diane Burress (Lady Lake, FL) came in 1st place this week with a two-day total of 161. Burress started off round 1 with birdies on holes 1 and 10 to go along with 8 more pars for the day. Burress carded an impressive 11 pars for round two to total and lead the division at 19. Burress went head to head with Jennifer Jung (Orlando, FL) who was tied with Burress after the first round. Jung battled in round 2 with two more birdies on the front side but fell short of Burress by one stroke. Close behind Burress and Jung was Ananya Datar (India), who finished in third place just two shots behind Burress.

Boys 11-13 Division

Aaron Zhang from Lake Mary, Florida made an impressive comeback in round 2 to take home the first place hardware. Zhang started round 2 five shots behind Will McGriff (Ponte Vedra Beach, FL), who carded a 74 in round 1. Zhang had a solid round with 2 birdies, 15 pars, and a single bogey. McGriff came in 2nd place after an 84 in round two. McGriff played a near flawless first round with 16 pars and 2 bogeys. Zhang showed his fearlessness and drive to overcome a 5 stroke deficit and win by 8. Chase Carroll (Jacksonville, FL) came in 3rd place with a two-day total of 166. Carroll played consistently for both days recording 16 total pars and 1 birdie.

Girls U13 Division

Loralie Cowart (Winston, GA) battled both days to earn a first place finish in the girls U13 division. Cowart got off to a slow start in round one with a 90, but fought hard in round two to improve 12 shots to card a 78. Cowart carded 4 birdies in round 2 alone and led her division with 5. Marissa Cardenas (St. Augustine, FL) finished in second just 7 shots behind Cowart. Cardenas led her division with 14 pars for the 36-hole event, but fell two short of Cowart in the birdie category. The third place trophy belongs to Caroline Nemes of Orlando, Florida. Nemes’ impressive birdie on the difficult par 4 18th hole was the only birdie for the girl’s division!

Weather June 22-23, 2016:

Round 1: Low 70, High 87. Sunny, Wind 10-15 mph

Round 2: Low 73, High 91. Mostly Sunny Skies, Wind 5-10 mph

Tournament Division Yardages

Boys 16-18: 6,743 Yards

Boys 14-15: 6,743 Yards

Girls 14-18: 5,742 Yards

Boys 11-13: 5,742 Yards

Girls U13: 5,149 Yards

About Hurricane Junior Golf Tour

The Hurricane Junior Golf Tour (HJGT) was founded in 2007 with the intent of providing junior golfers between the ages of 11-18, and now 10 and under, an opportunity to play exceptional courses in a competitive environment. Golfers who participate on the tour will compete in one of six age divisions: Boys 16-18, Boys 14-15, Boys 11-13, Boys U10, Girls 14-18, and Girls U13. Based out of Jacksonville, FL, the HJGT administers events all across the nation, with stops in Alabama, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. In 2016, we have now expanded to the west coast and cover California, Texas, Arizona, Colorado, Washington, Nevada, and Oregon.